Conveying apparatus.



No. 841,085. PATENTED JAN. 8, 1907.

. J. H. GILMAN.

CONVEYING APPARATUS.

APPLIOATION FILED MAR.2,1906.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

' J. H. GILMAN.

CONVEYING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED MAR.2.1906.

PATENTED JAN. 8, 1907.

2 SHEETQ-SHEET 2.

UNITED STATES P'IENT OFFICE.

JOHN H. GILMAN, OF OTTAWA, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO KING & HAMILTON COMPANY, OF OTTAWA, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

CONVEYING APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 8, 1907.

Application filed March 2, 1906. Serial No. 303,781.

of Ottawa, in the county of Lasalle and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Conveying Appara- 12 therein ca tus, of which the following is a specification.

My invention is concerned with certain improvements in that class of conveyers in which a belt is employed as a ortion, at any rate, of the endless carrier, an I have shown my invention as applied to a conveyer of the general type shown in my Patent N 0.

599,500, dated February 22, 1898, where it is used to carry corn to a sheller.

My invention is concerned mainly with a novel construction by which the length of the belt and trough may be quickly changed to accommodate it to the particular work at hand, together with a novel construction by which the traction of the belt will be sufficiently even when driven from a small roller, and, finally, with a "novel construction by' which any dirt or loose gram is readily dis-.

charged from the conveyin -trough, so as not to be delivered to the sheIler or other operatin mechanism which is being fed.

.To i lustrate my invention, I annex hereto two sheets of drawings, in which the same reference characters are used to desi nate identical parts in all the figures, of whic Figure 1 is a sideelevation of the'apparatus in lon itudinal section with portions thereof bro en out. view illustrating the connections between the elevator and the adjacent section of the extension. Fig. 3 is a similar view, but with the parts separated. Fig. 4 is a vertical section, on an enlarged scale, on the line A A of Fig. 1; and Fig. 5 is a top plan view of the connectin -hinge in position upon the beltsections W ich 1t is'adapted to connect.

In carrying out my invention, the elevat ing-section 10 may be of any desired construction and is shown as consisting of the customary trough having the shafts 11 and ing the sprocket-wheels 13 and 14, by whic the sprocket-chain 15, with the slats or ribs 16, is o erated over the effective bottom 17 of t e trough. The

shafts 12 and '13 are shown as driven by means of the sprocket-chain 18, cooperating with the customary sprocket-wheels and sea cured to the shafts 12 and 19, respectively,

Fig. 2 is a perspective the shaft 19 being illustrated as driven by bevel-gear and pinion connections from the vertical shaft 20, which'is journaled in suitable bearings carried by the framework 21, attached to and supporting the elevator proper, 22, ot the corn-sheller or other article which it is adapted to feed. The mechanism thus'far described is old and of any desired construction.

The extension-trough 23 is made up of the side pieces 24, the e 25, and the flaring side pieces 26 and is preferably constructed of sections, as shown, which can be temporarily hinged together by the hinges (indicated in dotted lines at 27) secured by the hinge-rod 28, so that the extension may be made of any desired length. Of course there must be two end sections, the forward one containing the shaft 29, suitably journaled therein and provided with the beltwheel 30, and the rear one must contain the shaft 31, carrying the belt-Wheel 32 or some equivalent, and as many intermediate sections may be employed as are necessary,

they, however, not requiring any shafts or ective trough-bottom held in place by friction, as well as by the confining action of the sides of the casing. The position of the shaft 31 may be adjusted as is necessary to take up the slack by means of the sliding bearing mounted in the sliding ways 36, secured to the sides of the trough and adjusted by means, of the set-screw 37.

The section, 10 is provided with the upwardly-projecting bearing-yokes 38, (seen in Fig.3) which 'receive the sleeves 39 of the bearings 40 for the shaft 29, so that the two parts will be held in proper'relationship to each other, this also being facilitated by means of the blocks 41', secured to the inclined sides 4210f the elevator-section 10, and between which the sides 24 of the extension- IOO section fit. The shaft 29 has secured thereon the sprocket-wheel 43, and the shaft 11, which is journaled in the adjustable bearing 44, ,has secured on the adjacent end the sprocket-wheel 45, and the two sprocketwheels are connected by the sprocket-chain 46, which is given the desired tension by means of the sprocket-pinion 47, journaled upon a stub-shaft 48, which may be adjusta ly secured in the bracket 49, secured to the side piece 24 by an elongated slot (not shown) in the bracket.

In order to secure the proper pull upon the belt 33 by means of the belt-wheel 30, especially if the latter is of a comparatively small diameter, as is advisable, it is necessary to employ the auxiliary pulley or wheel 50, which is secured to or journaled upon a shaft 51, which is mounted in the bearings 52, which are adapted to slide in the elongated slot 53,- formed in the bearing-casting 54, secured to the sides 24 of the trough, as clearly shown. The auxiliary pulley 51 is caused to hold the belt 33 tightly around the pulley for about three-quarters of its circumference by reason of the helically-coiled expanding-spring 55, which surrounds the rod 56,

extending rearwardly from a position near thebearing 52 through the U-shaped portion '57 of the casting 54. The tension of the spring is adjusted by means of the nut 58, screwed on the threaded end of the rod 56, and the outer end of the rod is held in position and adjusted by means of the nut 59, screwed thereon and resting against the outwardly-projecting flange of the L-shaped bearing-piece 60, through which it passes and which is secured to the side 24 of the trough.

This mechanism enables me to secure a powerful ull on the belt by the pulley 30, not only ecause they have more surface in contact than they would have if the pulley were not employed, but because the gripping or pinching of the belt between the two pulleys revents its slipping. TlllS action is especiliy essential in my c onstruct1on,because very little of the weight of the belt comes upon the pulleysand that cannot bedepended upon to secure the necessary. friction between the belt and the pulleys.

To prevent any loose grain or dirt passing between the belt and the pulley 30 and interfering with their contact. I remove a section of the bottom 25 of the trough, as indicated at 61, and beneath this-section I form apertures 62 in the sides 24 of the trough, and to insure the dirt, 850., being deflected out through these apertures, I provide the angular sheet-metal piece 63, extending to the outer and bottom edges of the recesses 62 and having the angle 64 preferably extending nearly to the recess 61. V

The operation of the apparatus Wlll be readily apparent, as the grain of whatever character that is thrown in the trough 23 will be carried to anddeliver'ed into the elepurposes, it will be understood that it is ca pable of modifications and that I do not desire to be limited in the interpretation of the following claims except as maybe necessitated by the state of the prior art.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

1. In a device of the class described, the combination withthe trough, of the beltwheels at the ends thereof, means for driving one of said wheels, and a spring-held auxiliary pulley engaging the belt beneath the trough-bottom to hold it positively in engagement with theperiphery of the drivingbelt wheel.

2. In a device of the class-described, the combination with the trough, of the beltwheels at the ends thereof, means for driving one of said wheels, and a spring-held adjustable auxiliary ulley engaging the belt beneath the trough-bottom to hold it ositivel; in engagement with the periphery oi the driving-belt wheel.

3. In a device of the. class described, the I combination with the trough, of the beltwheels at the ends thereof, 'means for driving one of said Wheels, a tension-roller engaging the belt beneaththe troughbottom to hold it in engagement with the periphery of the driving-belt wheel, bearings for the shaft of said tension-roller, the bearing-bracket castings having elongated apertures in which the bearings slide, and helically-coiled expandingsaid tension-roller, the bearing-bracket castings having elongated apertures in which the bearings slide and U-shaped recesses therein,

a helically-coiled expanding-spring in said recesses cooperating with the bearings, and means for positioning the other end of said spring.

5; In a device of the class described, the combination with the trough, of the beltwheels at the endsthereof, means for driving one of said wheels, a tension-roller engaging the belt beneath the trough-bottom to hold itin eement with the erip v. i

, hery of the e t wheeh -bealfingsfor the shaft of said tension-rollerflhe' bearing-bracket cast ings having elongated. apertures in which the bearings slide, and U-shap H-recesses therein a helically-coiled expandmis'pring in said rev spring, consisting of t e rods the nuts, IO

cesses cooperating with e bearings, and means for positio .theother end of said screwed thereon to'form the adjustable abutment for the s ring.-

" 6. In a 'devlceoff the ciass desoribedJthe combination withtheftrou gh made up of de-' vand made'i p' of detachab tdchable ahd'removable sections to vary its .length, of the belt-wheels mounted in the end I 5 sections and abelt coolperating therewith e sections provided with the hinges and removable pins. In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and, aflixed-my'seal this 20th day of go Febrnary, 1906';

1 JOHN H. GILMAN. [L.'S.]

presence off- GEO. P. HILLs, BE Bn v'soN. '1 

